These are the exotic fruits that Colombia sells the most to the world

July 28, 2023

Colombia is recognized worldwide for its fruits. We tell you which Colombian exotic fruits are the most sought after and demanded internationally.

exotic fruits, tropical fruits, gulupa, mango, uchuva, pitahaya, exporting fruits, Más Colombia

Exotic fruits are increasingly sought after abroad for their delicious and peculiar flavors. It is not for nothing that Colombia’s marketplaces are so popular with international tourists, who enjoy the pleasure of seeing mountains of strawberries, mountains of mandarins and, in the best of cases, mountains of pineapples.

Because of its geographical location, Colombia is not only an important producer to meet this demand, but also a tourist destination to taste natural fruit juices, an uncommon drink in the world, where wines, beers and soft drinks are more common.

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The following is a list of the 4 exotic fruits that Colombia exports the most, with which our country stands out in international markets:

The uchuva is the queen of Colombian exotic fruits

The uchuva, also known as aguaymanto, uvilla or ushun, is the celebrity among exotic fruits exported by Colombia. In eleven years, from 2011 to 2021, a cumulative 72,816 tons were exported.

This volume, according to information from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), represents the sale of 329 million US dollars. Since 2005, Colombia’s annual exports of uchuva have been above 5,000 tons, and have been growing for several years.

In 2017, 6,000 tons of this exotic fruit were exported, worth US$27.8 million. In 2018, 7,200 tons were exported for $32 million. And in 2021, 7,800 tons were surpassed and reached a value of US$37.8 million.

The main destination for cape gooseberries harvested in Colombia is the Netherlands. In the annual average from 2011 to 2021, 63% of the cape gooseberries exported were sent to that territory. The second most important destination is Germany, where 15% of exports of this exotic fruit go. The third destination was the United States, with 5%. The remaining 17% goes to countries such as Belgium, Canada and France.

Gulupa, known as pasionaria in Chile, tintín in Peru and purupuru in Ecuador

This passiflora is one of the exotic fruits with the highest growth in Colombian exports, and maintains good prospects in the near future.

From 2011 to 2021, 66,178 tons of gulupa were exported, for US$269.5 million, according to DANE information.

Before 2008, exports were very low. In 2007 it barely reached 500 tons, in 2008 it rose to 1,200 tons and since then it has grown steadily.

By 2011, 2,385 tons were exported, for a value of close to US$10 million. And in 2021, 9,813 tons of this exotic fruit were exported, for 42 million dollars. So, between 2011 and 2021, the export of gulupa grew 311% in tons, as can be calculated from DANE information.

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The main destination for Colombian gulupa is the Netherlands. Eighty percent of the gulupa exported from 2011 to 2021 went there. Far behind, but following in importance, are Germany and Belgium, which account for 11% of Colombia’s exports of this exotic fruit in the same period. The other 9% went to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, among others.

Granadilla, the sweetest of the passionflowers

Passiflora ligularis or passion fruit is native to the American continent. Like the other exotic fruits, exports of passion fruit presented a very positive performance and accumulated sales for US$44 million from 2011 to 2021. In total, they totaled 9,972 tons during those years.

Since 2017, exports have been growing significantly. While in 2016, 769 tons of passion fruit were exported for a value of US$3.3 million, in 2021, 1,301 tons were exported for US$6.9 million, according to DANE. This represents a 70% growth in exported quantities in just five years.

The main buyer of passion fruit is the Netherlands. To this destination Colombia exported US$10 million from 2011 to 2021, which represents 22% of the total amount of passion fruit exported in those years (US$44 million).

The next destinations for Colombian passion fruit are Canada, France and the United Arab Emirates. These three countries together account for 36% of exports of this fruit.

Pitahaya, or scaly fruit in Antillean language

Pitahaya exports are also significant, although they have shown instability. From 2012 to 2014, the volume exported fell progressively, and in 2016 and 2020 it decreased compared to the immediately preceding year. In contrast, the years with the highest pitahaya exports were 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Although pitahaya exports from Colombia are not growing steadily, it is one of the most relevant exotic fruits for the country’s foreign trade. From 2011 to 2021, foreign sales totaled 4,750 tons, which meant US$28 million for the country (calculations based on DANE data).

Between 2011 and 2021, the main destination for Colombian pitahaya was Hong Kong, where 20% of exports of this fruit went, worth US$5.5 million. With a slightly lower share, 19% of exports were sent to Brazil, which was the second destination and to which US$5 million was sold.